Arkansas Urges Court to Uphold SAFE Act Following Supreme Court Ruling

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On Thursday, the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office made a filing with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in defense of the state’s law protecting children from sex-change procedures.

In 2021, Arkansas passed the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act prohibiting doctors from performing sex-change surgeries on children or giving them puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. Unfortunately, a federal judge blocked the law, and the SAFE Act is currently before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

However, on Wednesday the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law protecting children from these same procedures, drugs, and hormones. That good ruling should pave the way for federal courts to let Arkansas enforce the SAFE Act as well.

On Thursday, Arkansas Solicitor General Autumn Hamit Patterson filed a letter with the Eighth Circuit informing the judges about the new court decision. The letter says the supreme court’s ruling reinforces the A.G.’s arguments that Arkansas’ SAFE Act is constitutional.

The letter notes that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tennessee’s law did not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender identity, and it argues that the SAFE Act should be upheld, in light of the ruling.

Sex-change procedures, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones can leave children permanently scarred, sterilized, and at risk of serious health conditions.

Last fall, medical experts at the organization Do No Harm released a report showing that from 2019 to 2023, dozens of children in Arkansas underwent sex-change surgeries or were prescribed puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

Doctors do not know the long-term effects that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones might have on people. However, files leaked from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) organization make it clear that medical professionals performing gender-transitions on kids have been fully aware that these procedures can lead to lasting regret and complications — some of which may even be life-threatening.

Since 2021, a major hospital in Sweden has announced that it would no longer give puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to kids, the U.K. has adopted policies that protect children from puberty blockers, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added a warning label to puberty blockers after discovering they caused some biological girls to experience swelling in the brain.

In a comprehensive study published last year, Finnish researchers found transgender surgeries did not appear to resolve the underlying emotional and mental issues that youth with gender dysphoria faced.

And gender clinics have been shown to rush children and families through the transition process without adequate informed-consent and mental health screenings.

Arkansas — and other states — need to be able to protect children from these procedures.

It’s great to see Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office urging the Eighth Circuit to let the state enforce the SAFE Act.

Arkansas’ SAFE Act is a good law that protects children.

We believe the Eighth Circuit will recognize that fact and let the state enforce this good law.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Law Protecting Children From Sex-Change Procedures

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Little Rock, Ark. — On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision upholding a Tennessee law that prohibits medical professionals from performing sex-change procedures on children or giving them puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

Family Council President Jerry Cox issued a statement, saying, “This is a victory for families and children everywhere. The court’s decision points out there are ‘fierce scientific and policy debates’ about performing sex-change surgeries on kids or giving them puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. In the past five years, public health experts in Europe and America have begun sounding the alarm about these procedures. The U.S. Supreme Court is doing the right thing by letting Tennessee protect children.”

Cox pointed out that Arkansas was the first state in the nation to pass a law protecting children from sex-change procedures. “In 2021, the Arkansas Legislature overwhelmingly passed the Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act. This good law protects children in Arkansas from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries. Since then, roughly half the states in America have passed laws similar to the SAFE Act. Unfortunately, the SAFE Act has been tied up in court since 2021. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee’s version of the SAFE Act, we believe Arkansas will be free to protect children from these procedures as well.”

Cox praised Arkansas’ lawmakers and attorney general for passing and defending the SAFE Act. “Arkansas’ lawmakers stood up for children by passing the SAFE Act in 2021. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has worked tirelessly to defend the SAFE Act in court. Since 2021, scientific research has continued to show Arkansas was right to pass a law protecting children from sex-change procedures. Public opinion polling shows Arkansans support laws like the SAFE Act. Today’s supreme court victory means Arkansas will be able to protect children. That is something to celebrate.”

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Are Public Schools Lying to Parents?

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Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom have recently spoken out about how schools are hiding important information about students from their parents.

ADF CEO, President, and General Counsel Kristen Waggoner recently appeared on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” to discuss the situation — and how she hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually address it.

ADF writes,

During the 2020-21 school year, a 6th-grade girl in Ludlow, Massachusetts, shared with a teacher that she had told a friend she ‘likes girls,’ was experiencing low self-esteem and depression, and needed help. The teacher shared these concerns with the girl’s mother, and both agreed to work together to help her. The student’s parents promptly got their daughter a therapist, informed the school she was getting professional help, and expressly directed school staff to have no further private conversations with their daughter about her mental health issues. But when the student sent an email to teachers and counselors informing them that she now identified as “genderqueer” and wanted to be addressed by a new name and a new list of pronouns, they began doing so without informing the student’s parents or asking for their consent. The parents found out and asked the district to stop, but it refused. The parents filed a lawsuit challenging the school district’s clear violation of their parental rights, and Alliance Defending Freedom filed an amicus brief in their support at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. Unfortunately, the 1st Circuit failed to protect parental rights.

Over the years, we have seen pro-LGBT activists use public schools to promote transgender ideology to kids in many different ways — but policymakers have pushed back.

In 2021 Arkansas passed Act 461 to prevent male athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school. This good law protects fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas.

That same year, lawmakers passed the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act generally prohibiting doctors from performing sex-change procedures on children or giving them puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. Unfortunately, that law has been blocked in court, but we believe it ultimately will be upheld.

In 2023 Arkansas lawmakers took additional action by passing Act 317 to protect privacy in public school locker rooms, showers, restrooms, changing areas, and similar facilities by requiring public schools to designate these facilities for “male” or “female” use.

Legislators also passed Act 274 of 2023 letting a child who undergoes a sex-change procedure sue the healthcare provider who performed the procedure if the child suffers any injury as a result. Act 274 also outlines informed-consent processes for sex-change surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones, and it contains protections for healthcare providers who decline to perform sex-reassignment procedures.

In 2023 the Arkansas Legislature passed the LEARNS Act overhauling public education in Arkansas, prohibiting critical race theory in public schools, and protecting young elementary school children from inappropriate sexual material in the classroom.

This year legislators passed Act 955 by Sen. Blake Johnson (R — Corning) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R — Perryville) protecting physical privacy and safety of Arkansans in showers, locker rooms, changing rooms, restrooms, and sleeping quarters in government buildings, jails, and in shelters for victims of domestic violence.

Taken together, all of these good laws protect children at school and elsewhere around the state. Public school students should not be taught to question their sexual-orientation or their gender, and schools should not lie to parents about what their children are learning at school. We appreciate Alliance Defending Freedom standing up for parental rights, and we appreciate Arkansas’ policymakers protecting children.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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